settingIndex was once a small and close-knit community, but the town located on the western side of Washington state has grown in recent years beyond anyone's expectations. It is the ideal place for those who work in Seattle but can't afford the city's high real estate prices, and for others the natural beauty attracts them to the town. And Index truly is a beautiful place - surrounded by thick evergreen trees, tall mountains and glistening rivers and lakes. While weather is typically rainy with overcast skies even this does nothing to take away from the beauty of the town, and it is only highlighted further when the heavy snow graces the town and caps the mountains in winter. To many, Index would seem like a paradise. And yet lurking beneath this visual beauty there is more to this town than anyone might ever imagine...

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My brow arched when he said that, curious now but not so much that I actually felt any urge to question him about it. Hell, if you say it can wait then I'm more than happy to let it do just that. I shrugged, letting any thoughts about it slip to the back of my mind. Is that mage hunt still happenin' later? I was actually kinda looking forward to it, maybe it was help get rid of all this pent up power. Again I managed to turn my mind away from thinking about it too much. Fuck it was crazy how easy doing that was right now. I was both chilled out and inwardly buzzing, a combination that didn't exactly make concentrating on anything half-way serious a possibility.

I noticed Ghost coming back, a beer in her hand and my first thought was where the hell could I get one too? Then she handed it to Onyx and like, shit I was surprised. This chick was such a damn huge improvement on Spirit, you'd have to be retarded not to see it straight away. I ignored the way my stomach lurched at that thought, not even knowing what it meant.

My eyes followed her, and then from her I turned my gaze to the stairs. Shit, it already felt like forever ago I'd been walking down those. I could admit now how nervous I'd really been. That something would go wrong or I'd do something really stupid like drop the gifts or have the headdress fall right off my damn head. Now that whole idea just made me grin, reaching up a hand to touch the elaborate feathers. In fact was downright fucking giddy, but a part of my mind held on to the knowledge that this had to be herb-induced, and I managed not to anything stupid. Like those stupid high-pitched girly laughs or whatever.

The touch of skin against my hand, the one that wasn't raised, had me pulling out of my rambling thoughts, almost jumping and pulling away until I remembered it was just Onyx. I glanced down, watching him wrap up the wound like it was the most fascinating thing on the planet. Round and round. Fuck. I shook my head, trying not to get totally distracted my every little detail. Like the way his skin on mine sent darts of what felt like electricity up my arm. A smile spread across my face at what he said, tilting my head and deliberately looking him over again. Nah, a suit implies that you'd be wearing a shirt or something. I mean like, yeah he probably would've looked good in that too but- I like this better. In fact I'd like it if your pants made like your top and went missing too. My smile turned into a smirk at that thought.

I tensed a little when he started to talk about how I looked. I mean, shit I hadn't thought as far as him saying something similar when the words had initially popped out of my mouth. Now I kinda regretted them, even though I'd meant them it wasn't like I'd wanted him to say something back or anything. I teetering on the verge of awkward when he actually finished his sentence, mouth dropping open for a second before I let out a short, incredulous laugh. Painty? I was laughing properly now, but managed to stop myself after a moment. Shit, last thing I needed was for him to get annoyed or whatever. Dude, I'd give you a hundred bucks if you could find that word in an official dictionary. I looked down at the markings, noticing how they caught the firelight all over again. I used my bandaged hand to trace the pattern that ran between my ribs and curved along my lower stomach. At least they're dry now. Standing still that long when you're bare-ass naked ain't as fun as it sounds. I joked.

So with all that there was no way I was prepared for what he followed the whole 'painty' thing up with. My eyes caught his when he looked at me, surprised and... shit kinda proud actually. I felt my back straighten as I reached out and took the bottle from him with a nod of thanks. That was the whole point, to look like a Warlord and emphasize the fact that being female didn't lessen it. That didn't mean it would actually do anything, but apparently making a statement was a start. I feel like one too. For now anyway. I grinned, not really able to help myself. I took a swig from the bottle then held it up, rotating it to try read the label but the words seemed like gibberish. Fucking great. Really hope there's something stronger here. I took a couple of steps forward before looking back at him over my shoulder. Any magical stashes on you tonight or am I gonna have to get it the old fashioned way? A.K.A subtly stealing someone else's booze. I held up his bottle of beer with a cocky grin, letting it swing a little, to illustrate my point.

Totally up to you, but at the end of this post I'm sending him to get her something better to drink and if you want it would be a good time for the dance thing we talked about. If not that's fine too, I'm sure we'll have plenty of opportunities. <3

If you want it to. I smiled, I couldn't help it either, I was excited for it. What better way to test and experience her new power than a hunt? And whenever you um... Wanna get outta here and go do that I'm game. My words implied the hunt, but my eyes suggested we leave to engage in something entirely different. I wasn't trying to pressure her to leave either, this was the best part. The part where she could savor the moment and experience everyone's high induced praise. I didn't want to end that prematurely, but maybe I did at the same time for a completely different reason.

I hadn't moved, hell my eyes had barely looked at anyone else except to observe the trails they were making. I wanted to move, to leave her be and let her mingle or whatever the fuck you wanted to call it, but damn some part of me didn't want to. It was the effect of the herbs, it had to be. I think your outfit is much better. I said as I tried so fucking hard to keep from looking below her neck. Eye control wasn't something I had exactly mastered. In fact, I was putting so much damned effort into keeping my focus above her neck that I'd forgotten to blink and my eyes were as wide as Oprah's ass. I wiped at my mouth and looked away, finally allowing myself to blink before looking back at her. Fuck what was with tonight?

Fuck you that's not funny. I said with a smile before laughing myself. You are fucking painty. I mean... I stopped before I said anything else stupid and just let myself laugh with her. Shit I wasn't even mad that she was laughing. I'll fucking put it in the dictionary if it isn't there, and slap a photo of you as you are right now beside it as proof that it's a fucking thing. I joked. Maybe you can paint me naked later so I can see for myself if it's fun or not. It sounded fucking fun to me. Especially if there was no paint involved and she used her tongue instead of a brush.

It took a moment for my mind to settle. She was a warlord now, our warlord, the warlord. And technically my debt was paid. Yeah, we'd need to work together for the pack, but that was work. There was absolutely nothing binding her to me other than work. At this point there was no going back, she was, and would continue to be warlord of the pack. There was no reason why she would ever need to help me with my problem again if she didn't want to. Shit I didn't believe she was a bad person, but how was I supposed to know for sure the whole fuck buddy thing wasn't just some attempt to distract me from the cons of the decision to make her warlord? How did I know this wasn't just some game from the beginning to get her into her position? The thought had entered my mind a few times and I had to keep pushing it away. I guess only time would tell if she was playing me or not.

I'll um... I'll go get you something stronger. I did have a stash, a lot at the den actually. I needed a minute to clear my head anyway, the last thing I needed was negative thoughts putting me on the path to a bad trip. I took off towards the cabin and lit up a smoke on the way.

Hell yeah I wanted to. I found my eyes drawn to his chest again and admitted to myself that it probably wasn't just for the hunt that I wanted to get the fuck out of here. Well, I wanted to get out of here soon, there was still a kick to the whole atmosphere that had me stalling, want to stick around just a bit. The sensations I was feeling felt like they pulsed with every beat of the drum, my body responsing with twitching muscles. Eh, the packs' only going to be like this once. Might as well see what they're like when they're loosened up. I grinned at him though. It was good to know we could leave whenever the hell I wanted to. Plus it'd probably look shitty if I left my own party so soon. I joked.

Okay now that had definitely been a compliment, even if it was probably a skeevy one seeing as how I'd just talked about preferring him topless. Shit, had I actually said that? My head shifted between fuzzy and totally clear so it wasn't actually all that easy to tell if I had or was just imagining it. You've a point, this shit is pretty elaborate. I agreed, holding out a forearm and checking the markings on that too.

Shut up, it's totally fucking funny. Him saying it wasn't just made the urge to laugh grow. I shook my head when he made it worse by repeating it, laughing too hard to even point that out. At least he wasn't getting pissed off. Shit, he was actually laughing too. This had to be because of those herbs, right? That's fucking cheating and you know it. I shoved him as I said it, even though I found the idea pretty funny. His next idea on the other hand... Don't tempt me. I smirked, trying not to actually picture that in my head of I'd just get totally fucking distracted. Again I found my eyes starting to wander down his torso until I focused and stopped them. No seriously, why did he have to go a suggest something like that?

I frowned as he left, wondering what the fuck had been up with him. Like shit, what was wrong with me picking up on shit like that. Because there'd definitely been something... just fucking different before he'd left. I turned away, taking another swig from the beer and walking closer to the drums. My mind wasn't able to dwell on the flash of irritation I'd felt, not when the steady beat of multiple hands creating such intricate rhythms just took the hell over. I watched other wolves dancing, moving in time with the beat. They were so synchronized that the whole thing looked like it had been rehearsed. My muscles twitched again, like they wanted to join.

A female approached then, a grin on her face and pupils dilated to the point of covering most of her iris'. I found myself returning her smile before I'd even registered my facial muscles shifting. Despite being just... totally fucked, I still managed to feel surprised when she took my hand, leading me closer to a smaller fire that the others were moving around. The drums intensified and I stood there, watching her start the slow steps of a tribal dance, my body mimicking her like it was detached from my mind, thinking for itself. The fire flared and I felt a thrill of adrenaline shoot through my body. I swayed my hips, feeling a cool, silken lightness against my skin as I did, drawing my gaze down. The wrap floated around my hips as I moved them, completely enthralling me in that moment. I rotated them again, my body remembering steps that my mind didn't. I raised my arms higher, starting to move around the fire now, finding my own rhythm with the drums. I spun, feeling the fabric lift from my skin altogether for a moment before settling down.

The drummers increased the tempo then and I just... lost myself to it. I let my body follow the beat however it wanted, sometimes frantically keeping up with the rapid hands on the instruments, sometimes letting my hips sway slowly, more deliberately. I closed my eyes and soon felt hands on me, matching my steps or fighting mine with their own. I could feel myself being passed from person to person, felt touches against my hips, my ribs, but not once did I react badly or snap like I usually would've. The drugs in my system were giving all of this a tinge of euphoria and the way my heart pounded wasn't just from the way my body moved.

My eyes flew open as I felt myself lifted into the air and spun around, and it nearly broke my haze but the wolf who'd done it released me quickly only for another to the exact same. I laughed without being sure why, but I didn't stop it. Some part of me knew I had to enjoy this while I could though in that second I couldn't remember why. It didn't matter.

A lull in the drums brought some of my senses back to me, making me aware of how heavily I was breathing and how my muscles trembled. I didn't even know how long I'd been dancing seeing as how I'd gotten so caught out in the motion of it that I'd lost track of time. I was thirsty too, and becoming aware of had my head snapping up, eyes searching the crowd and wondering where he was. I moved, avoiding a passing dancer while not completely leaving the circle of the firelight.

There's slight modding in this post, it was necessary to accomplish what I wanted to accomplish. Hooooowwwweeeeeevvvvveeeeerrrrr, if you're not okay with it just let me know and I can edit/change stuff! <3

Shit I could think of a million different ways to describe the pack as loose, then again I'd spent a fuck load of time at One Shot during happy hour, and I was mated to Ophiuchus for God knows how long. Yeah, maybe those were two entirely different definitions of loose, it didn't matter. I knew what she meant. I had to admit when I was new the whole ritual shit was pointless to me, but it had grown on me when I realized it was just an excuse for everyone to get really fucked up. Obviously there was a shit load more to it than that, which was something I had realized only moments prior. Maybe I could have realized it months ago, but maybe I hadn't wanted to realize it until tonight. Yeah you should stay. Once this night is done it's done. It really is a once in a life time experience, and to be really fucking honest, you should take advantage of it as much as you possibly can. I hadn't taken advantage of mine, it was something I didn't regret until about thirty minutes ago... You should know by now that telling me to not do something is a pretty good way of making me do exactly what you don't want me to do. Then again... I leaned in a little bit so I could lower my voice, Unless of course you want to be tempted.

In one hand I held my very own bottle of Jack, in the other a bottle of Southern Comfort for her. I stopped on the front porch of the cabin and lit what was left of my cigarette, placed it between my lips, then started down the steps. My eyes scanned the land on the other side of the bonfire first, as I was walking down. I was looking for Ollurian, wondering if he was lurking somewhere regretting his decision to leave during what was considered one of the most important rituals a pack can experience together. He was no where to be seen, I couldn't smell him, see him, or even hear anything. I wasn't exactly in the right form to really detect much but I had a feeling he was long gone, for now. Leaving during any ritual in the way he did was pretty much a giant fucking middle finger to everything we stood for.

When I started to near the final steps I finally looked in the other direction, seeing nothing but a sea of bodies and finally feeling the beat of the drum in my chest again. I found my way back to my throne, if that's what you wanted to even call it. There was nothing comfortable about sitting on woven sticks, but it had the best view of anywhere else. I placed the Southern Comfort on the ground beside me and twisted off the cap of my JD. I took a drink and as I pulled the bottle away from my face I saw her. I wasn't looking for her exactly, but I found her anyway.

At first I was entranced in everyone, in everything. Then I was entranced by only her movements, finally finding an excuse to focus on her body rather than her face. Shit for once I had found a reason to appreciate the little bit of cloth she had on, even if it only lasted for a moment before I was back to wishing she either had more on or nothing at all. In that moment all I wanted to do was watch her. I wanted everyone else to fade away, and for a minute they almost did. The movement of her hips went from incredibly fucking hot and mesmerizing to something else. She turned and her back was to me now. Her movements and the little strands of visible dark hair caused a feeling of dread to send chills down my arms. There was one particular movement that triggered a really fucking shitty memory and if it wasn't for her turning back around again I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between her and... It didn't matter, seeing her face stopped it, and I needed another drink.

I flicked my cigarette to the ground and put out the ember with my boot before picking up the bottle of Southern Comfort and staring at the label. The light from the fire caught the glass, and I looked up again, noticing her moving through the crowd. I quickly tucked her bottle under my arm and moved towards the stairs, only this time I passed them and disappeared off to the side and into the dark where I stashed her bottle in a nearby bush. I placed my bottle of Jack beside it and started heading back towards the glow of the fire, this time my direction was determined, but each step was paced to avoid attention. I found Ghost and leaned down to speak into her ear, It's time to kick it up a notch. She nodded her head in agreement and smiled before getting up and stepping towards the bonfire.

My eyes switched between her and the woman I was walking towards, Oveyx. I watched as Ghost opened the pouch and emptied it's contents into her hand and tossed everything into the fire, causing the flames to roar and illuminate everything, catching everyone's attention and causing that roar to be amplified by the cheering of the crowd. The drums picked up pace again and it looked as if everyone began moving. In that moment I stood in front of Oveyx and grabbed her hand. I pulled her away from the crowd while their attention was elsewhere and lead her towards the stairs. I moved past them, pulling her behind me and into the darkness where I had stashed our liquor. I didn't say anything, I just looked at her and smiled before pulling her close to me and pressing my lips against hers.

Sometimes it still felt weird, finding out that I could agree with him on so many different thing. If it weren't for the shit we disagreed on I'd have felt like there was some freaky brain invasion crap going on. Okay, so that wasn't strictly true, but nobody liked he idea of not having a unique fucking thought in their head. Tell me about it. I rolled my eyes, already easily able to predict what the pack would be like once the drugs no longer affected them. Plus, fuck it I dunno, maybe staying around a bit will show that I'm not just gonna take the rank and leave it at that. That it's not just... selfish or whatever. I shrugged, not even completely sure what I was talking about. It was one of those gut feelings that you couldn't really explain. Thinking about it was still kind of a downer, so I readily laughed when he spoke again, glad for the distraction. Oh yeah, I'm well aware of how fucking well reverse psychology works on you. Dunno if it's something to brag about though- My words broke of when he leaned closer, breath catching in my throat at what he asked and barely managing to keep in a groan. All the fucking time. I answered, recovering enough to smirk.

My gaze kept moving over the crowd, being so tall once again coming in very fucking useful. Or not, seeing as how I still couldn't find him. I mean, obviously I was only fucking trying so hard because of that drink he'd be bringing. Fuck, why else would it feel like not finding him would be... well really fucking shit. I licked my dry lips, further proof that this was all some weird drug-induced need for liquid. It was so hot too, fuck how had I not noticed that before. I lifted a hand to my brow, surprised that I wasn't sweating. Fuck, maybe it was just all the tightly pressed bodies, boxing me in with their body heat.

On top of that underlying need to seek him out was a whole load of other sensations I was still trying to come to grips with. While I'd been caught up it the movements of the dance I hadn't had time to dwell on anything else, my mind had just gone blissfully fucking blank. I'd totally detached from my brain, stopped thinking and just given in to the cresting rhythms as they'd broken around me like waves and swept me up. The same thing that was obviously happening to the rest of the pack. Maybe even the same thing that allowed this one night of, well, something almost like a damn truce.

But now I was fully aware and wholly back in my body. The almost uncomfortable feeling of being so full of unused strength threatened to take over until in ebbed again, like a wave that couldn't make up it's fucking mind. Onyx's words from earlier came back to me, about getting out of here whenever I wanted. Well, I wanted to now. I wanted to get away from the press of bodies that had been so welcoming seconds ago. Now they just made me feel claustrophobic. Fuck, no matter how much I knew that a good portion of this was coming for the herbs and my new power it was like I struggled to hold on to that thought. It wasn't that I felt like I was heading for a bad trip I just... fuck it was like having the shortest attention span and the patience to match. I wanted to use my new strength instead of just feeling it swirl throughout my body. The idea of testing out shifting now was appealing too, but I had a feeling that was something that I'd happily put on the back burner in favor of other pursuits.

I used my elbows to work my way out even further, but I didn't get far. Not when I finally spotted him, already making his way towards me. Finally. A knot of tension I hadn't realized was there unraveled from my shoulder, only to be replaced my a completely different type of tension that tightened my stomach. I followed the direction of his eyes, spotting Ghost and guessing what she was doing by the bonfire before it had flared up, the scent of the herbs even more potent than before. Like they hadn't already been strong enough. I swallowed, not sure how much more I could take and wanting to get out of here more than before. That thought reminded him of him, had me turning to look again, only to see him standing right in front of me. Shit, how had I missed that?

Anticipation crawl up my back when he led me away, barely managing to keep myself from jumping him right then and there. At least I wasn't so fucked up that I didn't remember about keeping certain agreements between us and us alone. Not that it didn't still take an inhuman amount of effort. I looked back over my shoulder, reassuring myself that nobody had noticed, too busy losing themselves to the influx of more herbs and an even more frantic pounding beat to the drums. I looked back at Onyx when we stopped, hands gripping into to fist to fight down a brief flicker of nervousness. Fuck, a month in and I still worried I wasn't getting this shit right. But I felt my lips twitch into a smile of their own at the sight of his, remembering just how much I'd wanted to drag him off myself. Fucker had just beaten me to it. My hands reached out, grabbing the waist of his jeans at the same time his lips met mine. I pulled him closer, pressing my hips against his as my lips parted in response to his. I let myself get lost in him, let everything fade until the sound of loud voices had me pulling away, panting.

Wait. I reached up, pulling the headdress off and walking back, managing to set it on the steps to the cabin and sneak away without being seen. I pulled out the pins that kept my hair up as I headed back towards him, sighing in relief when I felt my hair fall down my back, some falling forward to cover my chest. I wasted no time when I reached him, pressing close against him and tilting my head, biting at his neck as I wrapped my arms around his shoulder. Remember what you said about getting out of here whenever? I think now would be a fucking stellar time for that. I grinned against his neck before pulling back. And I think we're going to need to go further away than this. Like, a lot further. Or as far as we could get in the time it took for me to lose patience and just rip his pants off.